Why the strong hatred towards Illinois?

[Homewardbound66]

I can honestly understand the answer to my original post. Not everyone feels hatred toward Illinois and not everyone feels hatred toward Wisconsin only a few select. The few select perpetrate the unfortunate "FIB" and "Cheesehead" labels. Not EVERYONE feels this way and that's encouraging. Thanks to all that answered the original question.

I like the idea that its some good natured ribbing from both sides. We can't label an entire group of people based on a few. I guess I did that when I asked the original question on this post. I apologize. Thanks again.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by cmb53208

OK, let me parse out this post here with brutal honesty:

1) You maybe right about Milwaukee: the libs that run the city love the poor as long as they stay away from the East Side and Thrid Ward. That's why outside of the condo areas, people are leaving Milwaukee in droves. And yeah, we do drink too much up here, gotta admit it. With that being said though, Illinois south of Chicago is a new kind of hell-I have never seen a landscape so boring and small cities that were more depressing. Aside from Cook or DuPage County, I would choose "Wisonsin" over hellholes like Springfield and Bloomington any day.

Hahahahaha.... why do you think we all spend our weekends in your state and not ours?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by politikally

In my opinion it's the attitude the people from Chicago bring up north that people from Wisconsin dislike. That's my opinion. You can stand the your high horse all day and attempt to proclaim that the money from Chicagoland is proping up the northern wisconsin economy - which is far from the truth.

No, it's not far from the truth. It's the dead truth. You have a clear illustration just north of your own border of what your economy would be like if urban money did not infuse it. Most of the other people in your state don't live in the same state of denial that you do about this, which is why most others in your state welcome us.

Originally Posted by politikally

Trying to use that as an excuse to justify the conduct of many (not all) chicago people in the northwoods is the cause of much of the dislike. I don't expect you to see through your own attitude to realize where I and others are coming from.

Nobody owes you a justification for anything.

Originally Posted by politikally

If you want to think of my opinion in a different way consider it in this regard: one of the first things you learn when you grow up, is that you should leave something like you found it. When you go into a room you don't trash it, you clean it, after you mess it up. I find that the attitude many wisconsites harbor towards people from chicago is basically in line with that. Meaning the people from chicago don't leave wisconsin they way they found it. The philosphy when they arrive in wisconsin is to use, abuse, pave, and develop. That's where the dislike comes from.

The decisions to "pave and develop" are political decisions that us non-fulltimers do not participate in because we are not members of the voting public. Once we do get permission to develop our own -- OUR OWN, NOT YOUR -- property, it's none of your goddamn business if we do or do not. Change has been an inevitable part of the landscape on every corner of the Earth since mankind learned how to adapt the environment to his own uses. Your ideal state of development or lack thereof is not a birthright that you are entitled to. We have something in this country called alienability of property. Look into it some day. As the old saying goes, "if you like your view, buy it." Your sense of entitlement that your surroundings, owned by other people, be frozen in time like some sort of historic re-enactment is the cause of much of the dislike. I don't expect you to see through your own attitude to realize where I and others are coming from.

I don't portray myself as a saint. I portray myself as a landowner who wants to make perfectly clear that we don't have to answer to you or anyone else who resents the fact that we own property up there and have lawfully developed it to our own liking.

[illinoishomeman]

I think the main reason why Wisonsin people hate people from Illinois is because they are going through alcohol withdrawls all the time, and need someone to take it out on. Sure, why not take it out on the state that beats you in almost every economic and educational category. Everyone knows that Wisonsin wouldn't be what it is today without the wealth that Illinois brings into it. Heck, half of the state depends on our hardworked dollars to feed their alcoholic needs. I'm not even joking. Everyone that I have ever met that lived in Wisonconsin at the time, or lives in Illinois now, "hits the bottle" a little to much. Wisonsin may just be the most overated state in the entire union. Sure, you have like one clean town, and some nice places to take an ideal picture, but the rest is pretty much plain, old, midwest looking. I always like how when people move here from their "Homeland of Holiness" (a.k.a Wisconsin) they always like to degrade our landscapes and way of life. Sorry, Illinois has the RICHEST farmland in the WORLD, and I guess we are to busy feeding your mouths then trying to create the perfect backdrop to drink some more beer! Plus, what is the big deal about Millwaukee! There is of coarse the nice part of town, but I would say that the other side overshadows the nice in the worst way. It is so junky and dirty, I probably wouldn't ever go back! I would take the streets of St. Louis or even Detriot over the slums of that town. But yet when you ask former citizens of the town they pretend to not even know what you're talking about. At least when people ask about Chicago, we are completely honest about the fact that it is a town of haves and have-nots. We don't try to disgrace the poor by thinking they don't have a voice. I would hate to think what the town would be like if it didn't live off of Chicago. I wish Wisconsin would become a real state and get their own "big" city, and stop "mooching" off of ours. The southern part of the state is like that family member that stays a week over, and then never, ever leaves. Any body that would argue that point is an idiot. Madison is a nice town, I'll give it that, but the Dells are the cheapest places to visit. I would rather take my family to a bunch of carnivals then that place. Cheaper in the end, and at least you wouldn't feel so dirty after one ride. And don't go blaming us for the growth of your lakefronts and your coveted Door County. Your lodgeowners and salesmen almost fall head over heels to the car that has a Illinois license plate on it. Let's talk about Wisonsin's school system. I think to say that they are just mediocre, would be giving them to much. We have our fair share of inter-city and "redneck" schools, but we also have so many amazing districts, that it evens out in the end. And they aren't just reserved to Chicagoland. I guess I never really thought about Illinois drivers being worse drivers then those from up north. In fact I kinda thought of it the other way around. A few years ago I went to several pro football games in Chicago. Two of the games I attended were of the Bears vs. the Packers. I'm not form Chicago, or the surrounding area so I was a little tense anyways while on the way into Chicago, and I wasn't even driving. When we were in the stadium I couldn't get over how much beer everyone in green jerseys were drinking. In fact our section of poeple from Illinois had quiet a good time making fun of them as the even bigger section of Wisconsin idiots sat and laughed with us as we made them out to be fools. We left the game in the fourth quarter to beat the traffic, but had a hard time getting to our car because a group of Wisoncinites(sp?) were so intoxicated they were insisting that we buy there ticket stubs. I guess we in Illinois aren't trying to push you off the road when we drive, we are just afraid that if we don't keep you in your drunken place that some guy in a dorky cheesehead is going to take our families out in the end. And what's more, the cops from Wisconsin just take it in. They will pull us over for nothing, but gasp, if they pull someone from Door County over and give them a DUI. I think I heard one time that Wisonsin has a very high traffic accident ratio compared to the number of actual DUIs they give out. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Wisconsin needs to stop biting the hands that feed them. In the end I'd rather be looked at as an overly zealous driver, then a dorky Wisonsin "cheesehead that can't stop "leeching" off its host, Illinois.

[azloafer]

Originally Posted by illinoishomeman

I think the main reason why Wisonsin people hate people from Illinois is because they are going through alcohol withdrawls all the time, and need someone to take it out on. Sure, why not take it out on the state that beats you in almost every economic and educational category. Everyone knows that Wisonsin wouldn't be what it is today without the wealth that Illinois brings into it. Heck, half of the state depends on our hardworked dollars to feed their alcoholic needs. I'm not even joking. Everyone that I have ever met that lived in Wisonconsin at the time, or lives in Illinois now, "hits the bottle" a little to much. Wisonsin may just be the most overated state in the entire union. Sure, you have like one clean town, and some nice places to take an ideal picture, but the rest is pretty much plain, old, midwest looking. I always like how when people move here from their "Homeland of Holiness" (a.k.a Wisconsin) they always like to degrade our landscapes and way of life. Sorry, Illinois has the RICHEST farmland in the WORLD, and I guess we are to busy feeding your mouths then trying to create the perfect backdrop to drink some more beer! Plus, what is the big deal about Millwaukee! There is of coarse the nice part of town, but I would say that the other side overshadows the nice in the worst way. It is so junky and dirty, I probably wouldn't ever go back! I would take the streets of St. Louis or even Detriot over the slums of that town. But yet when you ask former citizens of the town they pretend to not even know what you're talking about. At least when people ask about Chicago, we are completely honest about the fact that it is a town of haves and have-nots. We don't try to disgrace the poor by thinking they don't have a voice. I would hate to think what the town would be like if it didn't live off of Chicago. I wish Wisconsin would become a real state and get their own "big" city, and stop "mooching" off of ours. The southern part of the state is like that family member that stays a week over, and then never, ever leaves. Any body that would argue that point is an idiot. Madison is a nice town, I'll give it that, but the Dells are the cheapest places to visit. I would rather take my family to a bunch of carnivals then that place. Cheaper in the end, and at least you wouldn't feel so dirty after one ride. And don't go blaming us for the growth of your lakefronts and your coveted Door County. Your lodgeowners and salesmen almost fall head over heels to the car that has a Illinois license plate on it. Let's talk about Wisonsin's school system. I think to say that they are just mediocre, would be giving them to much. We have our fair share of inter-city and "redneck" schools, but we also have so many amazing districts, that it evens out in the end. And they aren't just reserved to Chicagoland. I guess I never really thought about Illinois drivers being worse drivers then those from up north. In fact I kinda thought of it the other way around. A few years ago I went to several pro football games in Chicago. Two of the games I attended were of the Bears vs. the Packers. I'm not form Chicago, or the surrounding area so I was a little tense anyways while on the way into Chicago, and I wasn't even driving. When we were in the stadium I couldn't get over how much beer everyone in green jerseys were drinking. In fact our section of poeple from Illinois had quiet a good time making fun of them as the even bigger section of Wisconsin idiots sat and laughed with us as we made them out to be fools. We left the game in the fourth quarter to beat the traffic, but had a hard time getting to our car because a group of Wisoncinites(sp?) were so intoxicated they were insisting that we buy there ticket stubs. I guess we in Illinois aren't trying to push you off the road when we drive, we are just afraid that if we don't keep you in your drunken place that some guy in a dorky cheesehead is going to take our families out in the end. And what's more, the cops from Wisconsin just take it in. They will pull us over for nothing, but gasp, if they pull someone from Door County over and give them a DUI. I think I heard one time that Wisonsin has a very high traffic accident ratio compared to the number of actual DUIs they give out. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Wisconsin needs to stop biting the hands that feed them. In the end I'd rather be looked at as an overly zealous driver, then a dorky Wisonsin "cheesehead that can't stop "leeching" off its host, Illinois.

You have gone too far and are ruining this forum for everyone. This started out as a way of understanding each other NOT to be a place to post your hatred! I am asking that the moderator CLOSE THIS FORUM!

[Steeny]

My husband and I are transplants from Chicago to Wisconsin as of 10 years ago.
It took us awhile to make friends.
All our neighbors seem to be a bit cold. Our next door neighbor, turns her head the other way, when we come out of our driveway, or when she meets us on the road. For the life of us, we don't know what we did.

It seems that everyone around here knows each other..They all went to grammar and high school together. One my clients best man at his wedding is the mayor of our town. It is a close knit click of people, that is extremely hard to break into especially if you are from Chicago.

It's funny, but the close friends that we did make, and the people that we gravitate towards, 95% of the time, end up being from either the Chicago area, or somewhere other than Wisconsin. It is almost a phenomenon, when I strike up a conversation with someone, and start to befriend them, I say to them: "You're from Chicago, arn't you?" and sure enough they are!

The general attitude of the people in Wisconsin, seems to be "More is better", "Louder is better", "Cheaper is better."... with no thought to quality. For example someone might say: "Why would you want to go to Lake Lawn Lodge for brunch (which is a real quality eating event complete with smoked salmon, and ice sculptures), when I can go to ------- for $5.95 all you can eat?"

We are going on 11 years now, living in this lush paradise called Wisconsin, and we love it! Even so, we notice a big difference in the culture and have had a hard time being accepted by the locals. It feels like it will always be "Us and Them".

Steeny

[illinoishomeman]

This is a public domain and am just trying to answer the question. I get so sick of Wisonsin people bashing us, when they should be thankful for what we do for them. If your mad because property is going I guess all I can say is don't hate the player, hate the game. By the way, whoever posted that Springfield and B/N are comparable to the underworld should think twice. B/N has the wealth and economic influnence of a Chicago suburb, and Springfield is filled with nothing but rich politicians and doctors. We all know how doctors like to live in utter poverty!? Maybe you should take a look at some of your other medium densed cities before taking off on actually pleasent places to live.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by illinoishomeman

I think the main reason why Wisonsin people hate people from Illinois is because they are going through alcohol withdrawls all the time, and need someone to take it out on. Sure, why not take it out on the state that beats you in almost every economic and educational category. Everyone knows that Wisonsin wouldn't be what it is today without the wealth that Illinois brings into it. Heck, half of the state depends on our hardworked dollars to feed their alcoholic needs. I'm not even joking. . .

[*SNIP*]

Shaddap.....